Desperate Eagles visit struggling Saints

(Sports Network) - With the pressure continuing to mount in Philadelphia, the
Eagles may take solace in the fact their next encounter will be on the road
against Drew Brees and the New Orleans Saints.

Philadelphia has a coach and quarterback fighting for their jobs and their fates are certainly intertwined. Hurricane Sandy afforded Andy Reid a little extra time to mull Michael Vick's status before the Eagles' mentor committed to the veteran for Monday night's contest in the Big Easy.

Vick has struggled this season for the 3-4 Eagles, completing 59 percent of
his passes for 1,823 yards with nine touchdowns and eight interceptions.
He has also lost five of nine fumbles, leading to speculation that rookie
backup Nick Foles could replace him.

Vick even hinted Reid was at least thinking about a change after a 30-17
drubbing at the hands of the Atlanta Falcons back on Oct. 28, the first
setback
after the bye week in Reid's 14-year Philadelphia tenure.

The coach finally cemented Vick's status, if only for another week, via a mass
text from the team's PR department.

Hours before Sandy was scheduled to slam the region, Reid's Eagles took their
own swipe, punching their fans in the gut with a listless performance against
the unbeaten Falcons. Vick didn't turn the ball over but was a pedestrian 21-
of-35 for 191 yards and a score in the setback.

"That was an embarrassing performance," Reid said. "I'm stating the obvious.
We need to get better. I need to do a better job. This is fixable. We have the
talent."

Before that game, Reid coached teams were a mind-boggling 13-0 after the bye
and
there was always something about that week off which consistently charged the
veteran coach's battery. Since Reid has been in Philly, the Eagles are
84-39-1 following the bye as opposed to 45-45 before it.

That last layer of invincibility, one which a number of national observers
continually cited to support their unrequited love of a deeply flawed Eagles
team, was blown up by Matt Ryan and the Falcons, however.

Atlanta, which was also coming off its bye, reached the end zone on its first
three possessions and scored on its first six as new Philadelphia defensive
coordinator Todd Bowles, who replaced the much-maligned Juan Castillo during
the break, piloted a group which was more aggressive as advertised but just as
confused.

"We didn't do it. We didn't show up," Eagles defensive tackle Cullen Jenkins
understated. "We didn't play assignment sound. Whatever we could have done
wrong, we pretty much did it."

Atlanta's Matt Bosher never took the field as a punter until 5:35 was left in
the game when Bowles' defense finally recorded a stop.

"You don't go from the outhouse to the penthouse in one week," Bowles said.
"Right now, we're in the damn outhouse."

Good guy or not, you have to believe Castillo, the scapegoat of the Eagles'
mediocre start, was throwing a few "I told you sos" around on whatever island
he was deposed too.

"That (changing coordinators) had nothing to do with it," Eagles middle
linebacker DeMeco Ryans said. "It all comes down to the players making plays."

New Orleans, meanwhile, is coming off its own bad loss, falling in Denver
34-14 last Sunday.

Brees had an uncharacteristically poor performance, completing just 22-of-42
through the air for 213 yards with two touchdowns and an interception for the
Saints, who had their two-game win streak snapped in their first game under
new interim coach Joe Vitt, who was suspended for the season's first six games
for his involvement in the team's bounty case.

Aaron Kromer had guided the team through the first part of the season.

Brees still leads the NFL with 330.0 passing yards per game but his 213
against Denver was his worst performance since tossing for 196 against Tampa
Bay on Jan. 2, 2011.

The Eagles lead the all-time series with the Saints 15-10 and have taken six
of the past eight meetings between the two clubs.

WHAT TO WATCH FOR

A number of observers think Vick would already be benched in Philadelphia if
Reid wasn't on the hot seat. Foles, a rookie third round pick out of Arizona,
is the flavor of the month in the City of Brotherly Love, largely because the
fans haven't seen him play except for a stellar preseason against a number of
guys who are getting ready to deliver packages for UPS during the holidays.

Reid, unlike the fans however, isn't going to get caught up in fool's gold and
has been crossing his fingers, hoping against hope that his 32-year-old
veteran quarterback with nearly 100 NFL starts under his belt is finally going
to "get it."

As unlikely as it is that some magic gnome is going to sit on Vick's shoulders
and help him recognize the blitz pre-snap, it is just as unlikely that Vick is
going to halt his propensity to play "hero football" and curb his natural
instinct to extend every play.

"I think there's a lot of things that I can do better," Vick said. "I'm trying
to do everything that I can to put the ball in the end zone to give my guys
every opportunity."

The failures in Philly are certainly not all Vick's fault, though. Remember
the Eagles lost perhaps the game's best left tackle, Jason Peters, to a torn
Achilles before the season started and then suffered another significant
setback when center Jason Kelce, a player who is probably a little overrated
at the NovaCare Complex but a more than competent pivot nonetheless, went down
with a knee injury.

Their replacements, King Dunlap and Demetress Bell at left tackle, and Dallas
Reynolds at center have been overmatched more often than not.

Now right guard Danny Watkins, a former first round pick who has been a
disappointment, is out with what is being called a "chronic" ankle problem and
rookie Dennis Kelly, a 6-foot-8 fifth round selection out of Purdue, has been
tabbed as the replacement.

To be blunt, the Eagles' offensive line is a mess right now and Vick is not
the type of signal-caller who is going to get rid of the football when his
back foot hits the ground on the final step of his drop. Vick has been blitzed
99 times this season, fourth-most of any quarterback, and has been sacked 20
times. This team almost needs a quarterback with a quick release.

"I just don't think he's as comfortable as he usually is," receiver DeSean
Jackson told the Eagles' website. "A lot of pressure is getting in his face. A
lot of defenses are showing different looks and things like that."

The Saints may not have the defense to take advantage of Philadelphia,
however. The team's setback in Denver last Sunday was it's worst defeat in
four seasons, and New Orleans became the first team since 1950 to give up at
least 400 yards in seven straight contests.

"I've got to do a better job of preparing our football team," Vitt said. I've
got to do a better job of getting the team ready physically, mentally and
emotionally."

The Saints' defense is currently ranked 30th in points allowed (30.9) and is
dead last, allowing 474.7 yards per game.

"On defense it starts with me," said NOLA defensive coordinator Steve
Spagnuolo, who used to be a linebackers coach under Reid. "Somehow, I have to
get better with my job. I hope everyone else does the same thing."

OVERALL ANALYSIS

This one figures to be a shootout. New Orleans' defense has been historically
bad to this point but Brees rarely has two poor games in a row and will be
facing a unit which has mustered just nine sacks, the second-fewest in the
NFL.

You almost have to take Brees over Vick in a game which figures to resemble
basketball on turf.